


Pirate Day

by MyShipsinStormySeas



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Captain Swan - Freeform, F/M, Family, Fluff, Fourth of July, Post-Season/Series 07
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:47:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25084108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyShipsinStormySeas/pseuds/MyShipsinStormySeas
Summary: Fluffy Fourth of July, Emma and Killian feels, and adorable Hope. Even after the United Realms enter a period of peace, Killian Jones still finds elements of his life in the Land Without Magic surprising and confusing. What, after all, is Pirate Day?
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	Pirate Day

  
Killian Jones woke as the sun first crossed the horizon to shine over the tiled roofs and the picturesque greenery that made up Storybrooke, Maine. Blinking lazily he turned to face the other side of the bed, nearly receiving a mouthful of blond hair in the process. Shifting up on his left elbow, he reached out to smooth the wavy and slightly knotted strands, which fell across both pillows. He still could barely believe his luck.

Here he was, former villain, now Deputy, on a beautiful summer morn, his ship anchored in the harbor, given yet another chance to watch his beautiful, magnificent wife, as she drooled over her pillow. 

Emma’s hair was frizzy and tangled under her head, a slight snore emanated from her wide open mouth, and a line of drool almost reached down to her shoulder. To him, she was gorgeous.

After years spent fighting, first against his Swan, then for her, then with her, she was finally his, as he was hers. She’d let him past her walls, inch by inch, until they’d found days like today, when she trusted him to share her home, watch her drool, and be a father to the extraordinary miracle in the other room.

Speaking of his other love, another mussed head of blond hair appeared in the doorway. Before he could warn her to be quiet, Hope Alice Swan-Jones jumped on her parents’ bed with a squeal, effectively waking her mom and eliciting a deep groan from her father as she landed directly on his spleen.

Let it never be said that the granddaughter of Snow White did not have excellent aim.

Emma, never an early riser, blinked and ran her hands over her face, attempting to wake up. Killian attempted to look sternly down at the wriggling ball of energy in his lap, but his lips twitched and his eyebrow arched at the cheeky grin Hope gave him. Meanwhile, Hope attempted to steal all the blankets. Just like her mother that one.

“What have we said about waking Mom before 8:00 am?” he asked, doing his best not to grin back at her.

Hope stuck out her bottom lip, giving him the signature Jones’ pout, complete with the blue eyes he and his brother had shared.

Perhaps she wasn’t so different from her father, either.

“But Daddy, today is Pirate Day!”

He wrinkled his brow, trying to remember what day it even was, and whether one of Storybrooke’s numerous holidays had been mentioned to him over the past couple of days.

The years in Storybrooke had been peaceful for some time. No more were the constant attempts by evil villains to gain revenge, power, or world domination. 

Even with a young child to take care of, Killian suspected that Snow and David had found themselves at a loss with how to occupy themselves. Even with David’s farm, those two had spent so long fighting against the next villain, that years of peace felt almost too… peaceful.

Never ones to wallow in difficulty, both David and Snow simply turned their endless energy toward a new project: filling up the United Realms’ calendar with holidays, celebrations, and commemorations of all kinds.

It was starting to feel like each week there was a new celebration of something, and Killian had long given up trying to keep up. The holidays were usually some combination of traditional celebrations from all the realms, including from the Land Without Magic.

For example, Miner’s Day in Storybrooke, a holiday from the first curse, slowly changed to become a celebration of the dwarfs, as none of them could remember their birthday, which eventually turned into a celebration of everyone in all the United Realms who claimed a shorter stature.

Frabjous Day, a day in Wonderland when people celebrated Alice’s defeat of the Jabberwocky with a multitude of strange hats and lively dancing, soon merged with the holiday of Halloween, resulting in masquerades, reenactments of victories from each realm, and of course, plenty of candy for the young ones.

As for Christmas/Hanukkah/Winter Solstice… well, let’s just say that the celebrations in Arendelle always lasted the whole month of December.

However, Killian hadn’t yet heard of “Pirate Day.”

Emma smiled at her daughter and looked her over with an arched eyebrow, a habit she’d gained from her husband.

“Pirate Day, and where did you hear that Hope?”

Hope rolled her eyes in perfect imitation of her mother, “Well Grandma called it “Fourth of July,” but that takes waaaay too long to say.”

Now Killian remembered. Today was the day in July when Emma and Regina combined their efforts to create a massive display of magic lights, popping and sparking over the town like gunpowder. He was never sure exactly what they were celebrating though…

Emma continued the conversation, rubbing her eyes with one hand, “I may still be half asleep, but I think I’m missing something here. Pirates relate to the Fourth of July, how exactly?”

Hope rolled her eyes again, so Killian playfully flicked her on the nose. Hope scrunched her nose and stuck her tongue out at him. Like the completely mature, over 200-year-old adult he was, Killian stuck his tongue out back at her.

Then Hope explained, “Well Grandma said this holiday started when there was a corrupt king, and a bunch of people didn’t like him, so they decided to no longer follow the bad king’s rules, just like my papa did! And the king didn’t like that, so the king and the people fought with cannons and gunpowder, just like they do on the high seas! And the people beat the king, obviously. So now we explode gunpowder in the sky to remember that the evil rulers never win.”

Hope stopped to take her first breath since she began her speech. Killian glanced over at Emma and saw her nose scrunched in amusement. If he were to guess, Snow White had added her own “fairy-tale” element to the holiday in the classroom. 

Hope continued, “And then I said to grandma that she was obviously describing pirates, and she kind of said no but eventually she said ‘Well… kind of.’ And so obviously this ‘Fourth of July’ is really celebrating pirates which means we’re celebrating Daddy which means this is the best day!”

Hope finished in a rush, then managed to inhale several deep breaths.

Emma finally let out a soft laugh, nodding at her daughter, “Well, obviously.”

Then Emma turned to Killian, her eyes softening, “Well, how about it pirate? Ready to be celebrated?”

Killian smiled back at her, and then lifted Hope up onto his shoulders before getting out of the bed, “Well, no celebration should begin without hot chocolate and pancakes from Granny’s. What do you think, little lass?”

Hope let out a cheer, and he tickled her feet, grabbing her ankles before she could kick him in the head. Together they headed out the door to get Hope dressed and ready for the day.

“Of course… seeing as it’s Pirate Day, maybe we should have a pirate breakfast of boiled mackerel instead…”

“Daddy! Ew!”

Emma watched them go, shaking her head and laughing a little. Pirate Day or not, Killian deserved to be celebrated, even if only as a husband and a father.

“Daddy, I want to be a pirate for Pirate Day. I can’t wear a dress for that! I need pants and a hook.”

Emma grinned and turned to set the shower going. That was her daughter alright.

* * *

That evening, Killian held his energetic daughter in his lap, with his left arm wrapped around his wife. In the true spirit of “Pirate Day,” Hope had an eyepatch and a bandana on her head and held a coat hanger so she could have a hook, in imitation of her father. Emma had been surprisingly enthusiastic as well, and had proceeded to steal his large, leather, pirate coat, more than a little too big on her, so she could “properly play the part.”

“I think you just like wearing my clothes, love,” he’d told her.

Emma sunk her fingers into his shirt and pulled him closer, “Are you complaining?”

He smirked down at her, biting his bottom lip to cover up a wide grin, “Oh no, but I think some… compensation might be due for possessions pilfered.”

Emma swayed closer, a mischievous grin on her face, “Oh, but I’m a pirate tonight Captain, and pirates take what they want. For a pirate to pay for the goods she took would certainly be poor form.”

Killian pulled her closer still, “And what exactly is it that this pirate wants?”

Emma smiled and almost whispered into his ear, “You.”

Their mouths were too busy to continue the conversation for a good while after that.

Emma squeezed his left arm, bringing him back to the present. 

The three of them were sitting on a blanket on the grass, surrounded by families similarly situated, as they waited for the light show to begin.

Moving out from under his arm so as to focus, Emma sat up straighter and shared a nod and a glance with Regina. The Good Queen of the United Realms was standing in front of the crowd, and had just finished some long speech about hope and togetherness that Killian had failed to pay attention to. 

Simultaneously, Emma and Regina raised their arms, and instantly, the dark evening sky was alit with a multitude of colors, with the popping and smell of the gunpowder, and with the cheers from the audience on the ground.

Golden rain showered down, and bright circles of blue, green, purple, and red spread as far as the eye could see. Killian gazed up at the blazing lights above, and then down at his daughter’s face, eyes bright and mouth open in awe. Both were beautiful. 

After several minutes, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to his wife, still sitting straight with arms raised. She winked at him.

“This one’s for you babe.”

At that moment Regina’s arms lowered and Emma’s began to swirl and move through the air, almost as if she were painting with both hands. 

Then, in the loudest and brightest display of the night, just when the lights from the previous fireworks had begun to fade, a familiar image appeared in silver and gold.

There, brightening up the smoke-filled sky, was the Jolly Roger. The hull was silver, the sails were gold, and the ship of lights appeared to be sailing through the night sky, not one pegasus sail or monster’s shadow needed.

As he continued to stare upward, he felt Emma scoot closer and wrap her arm around him. 

“In honor of a true hero. Happy Pirate Day, my love,” she whispered.

Though usually loquacious, Killian felt at a loss for words at that moment. Blinking back tears, he settled simply for drawing her closer. Squeezing her hand, he continued to stare up at the night sky, even as the magical fireworks faded and gave way to the constellations one could see on any night of the year.

Killian only looked down when he felt the child in his lap shift to give him a hug.

Hope grinned sleepily, “See Daddy? I told you! Happy Pirate Day.”

Emma watched as he returned the hug, holding his daughter close and kissing her on the head.

He kept his gaze on Emma when he answered, “Aye, that you did. Thank you, my pirate-princess.”

Emma smiled back. She wasn’t sure which pirate-princess he was talking to. Probably both. Joining the hug, she gave Hope a kiss on the head of her own, then laid her head on Killian’s shoulder.

Though she could barely hear him, she could just make out one more whisper from Killian.

“This pirate found the greatest treasure in all the Realms.”

* * *

As the years went by, Hope and Emma made a point of celebrating Pirate Day every year, and more people caught onto the theme, enjoying the chance to dress up and imagine battles on the high seas, with gunpowder exploding above them.

And, Hope thought, one of the best parts of having an extensive, interconnected family tree was that the Good Queen of the United Realms was her step-great-grandmother/godmother, and could make “Pirate Day” official. 

Of course, Regina had seemed hesitant, saying she wasn’t sure she should condone acts of thieving and violence in a kingdom where her ultimate focus was to bring peace.

Hope would wear her down though. She is, as her father put it, “a stubborn lass.”

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm normally more of an angst person and my otp for once upon a time is honestly lieutenant duckling, so I'm not really sure where this came from... But anyway I had fun writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it! Please review if you liked it! And Happy Fourth of July if you celebrate and happy random day in summer if you don't! :D


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